It seemed like forever and a day before Al Franken put the election behind him and took his seat as the Senator from Minnesota. He was worth the wait.  Who was that other guy?  Norm….something… Sen. Al Franken introduced a bill aimed at curtailing foreign influence in U.S. elections, a measure prompted by a Supreme [...]

The Corporate Citizen – Really? By Bob Poe I’m a business guy. I have an undergraduate degree in finance and a master’s degree in business, and I got them in the late 70’s, when there were still relatively few MBA’s running around. I like business, I find it fascinating, I like doing it, I like [...]

Hey, boys and girls!  It’s time for a visit to the Mudflats Mail Bag! After Sarah Palin’s excruciating exchange with fellow Fox News talking head Sean Hannity, America was introduced to a brand new word – “mandation.”  Seconds later it entered the Twittersphere, and Facebook, and blogs across the cyber universe. Liberals adored it, and [...]

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news Your Friday night entertainment! House Republicans were fired up and ready to go for their conversation with President Obama at their annual retreat today. According to the New York Times, members of the conservative Republican House Conference said they were “itching to quiz the president and present their policy ideas [...]

This just in from Public Policy Polling.  Sarah Palin is no longer the 90% approval rating Golden Girl in her home state.  We know that.  Reaction to the one-term ex-gov can now be best described as tepid. Sarah Palin is no longer an overwhelmingly popular figure in Alaska. Just 47% of voters in the state [...]

OK, he can’t make moose chili, and he doesn’t ride a snow machine, and he doesn’t even make up his own words, but he is an ex-governor. And he seems to have a little bit more to say than that other governor that keeps coming up in conversation. I found this interview absolutely fascinating. Former [...]

If you’re like me, you sat watching the state of the union, and couldn’t help but think of what that address might have been like if instead of Joe Biden sitting behind the president, it had been Sarah Palin back there. And you couldn’t help but smile a little when the President said “I do [...]

A quick follow-up for all of you who watched the great video from Ujang and his Anchorage exchange family on a previous Open Thread. Ujang was one of ten winners and he’ll be traveling to Washington D.C.! Your views helped him win! Congratulations Ujang! For those who missed the video:

When it comes to breaching protocol, nobody does it like conservatives.  The congress, and now the bench. We all remember Congressman Joe Wilson’s little outburst on the floor of the House when he yelled, “You lie!” much to the horror of his fellow congressional representatives and most of the nation. Difference of opinion must be tolerated, [...]

Here’s a link where you can watch tonight’s State of the Union address.  It will be the first of the Obama administration.  I’m sure they had hoped it would have good news about health care, but the party of obstruction would have none of that.  So instead the speech will focus on the economy and [...]

Munch, munch, munch…. Oh, I’m sorry! (swallowing) I didn’t see you there. I was just enjoying a little Jiffy-Pop while reading Mother Jones: Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips likely assumed that scoring a dinner speech by the former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate would guarantee a huge turnout for his National Tea [...]

I’ve had some busy weeks lately and haven’t been able to get out and take many pictures lately, so I decided to raid the archives. Here’s a shot of Buf the dog’s cousin from last summer. He’s about the size of a half a loaf of bread. Don’t forget to stock up on munchies for [...]

On occasion I have been known to write a letter to one of my congressional representatives.  When I do, I try to make sure it’s thoughtful and makes my point.  I never name call.  I never insult.  Most people realize that doing that just turns people off.  It says “I don’t care if you listen [...]

>>>>>>>SSSKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!<<<<<<<<<<<<< That’s the noise of my fingernails dragging across the ground.  I’m trying to resist, and I don’t know if any of you noticed or not, but I have myself a little much needed hiatus from Sarah Palin.  The Alaska Legislature is in session, and matters of tremendous urgency have been going on on a [...]